To replace my old sash windows with replica upvc?

we had our original sashes refurbished and they are beautiful. The maintenance is a pain, but plastic windows don't look right, especially if you have period features in your rooms.

The main thing to remember is all D/G is made the same way in every factory, nothing magic about any of it some just looks better than others

Conservation rules include materials as well as appearance

Yep.

It's a fundamental principle of conservation - it's not just about how looks look, it's about authenticity - the materials, the craft/methods etc.

Doesn’t matter where you purchase glazing from, it’s the profile they use that makes some more attractive than others. Go to the showroom & have a good look what’s on display then try another place, to see subtle differences in style. Always ask who makes the profile that is used, & ask if it can be glazed from the inside as it’s safer, some profile will only be glazed on the outside& in certain circumstances can be reversed, but it may look horrid.

Another vote for secondary glazing.

It gets fitted on the inside of the windows within the window reveal.

We got all our wooden cottage windows replaced with Timberlook uPVC windows and paid extra for the insides to be the same as the outside and traditional ironware. They look amazing and are so warm. Our cottage is listed and these were approved for use which was a relief as replacement wooden windows would have been circa £65k and this is a few years ago before prices went up.

Look into secondary glazing! All the benefits of double glazing (warmth, sound insulation etc) but lets you keep your beautiful original windows.

We did this last year on our 1906 London terrace. It's a halls adjoining Edwardian style house. Not in a conservation area.

The difference it has made is ridiculous - the house is so much warmer, quieter and feels so much more secure and cosy. No more wiping up condensation every morning. No more mouldy flaky window frames.

It also feels so much safer when opening windows as I'm not worried about sash weight ropes breaking or Edwardian glass breaking.

From the outside, you wouldn't really clock that our house looks much different.

I vote for replacing single glazed wooden sash and case with double glazed units in the same wooden frames (or replacing part of the wooden frames).

They'll add value whilst keeping you lovely and warm. They'll also be accepted by your conservation area.

Where I live, the whole of the town centre is a conservation area and you need planning consent to change windows, doors, and practically anything else that affects the outward appearance of the property.

Here, they are very strict and refuse consent for uPVC windows on any of the older properties. The only replacements for sash windows that they will accept are double glazed hardwood sashes. People have been fined for it, and ordered to replace the windows they've just put in with approved windows that look exactly like the old ones from the outside, so end up paying twice (and a lot more for the second lot of windows). A friend was refused permission to replace an attic window with a Velux, and you could only see it from the top floor of the court building nearby.

There are local people who ring the council anytime they see work going on at older properties. A friend lives in a Victorian cottage with outside walls that are tile hung from the first floor upwards. She had to get some of them rehung and a few replaced and didn't realise she needed permission. The very morning the builders started removing the old tiles, someone from the planning department rocked up to check what they were doing. They were happy with the materials they were using, which were old tiles from an architectural salvage place, but insisted that the work stopped and the relevant consents applied for.

Imo, it's not worth the risk and possible extra expense. And your council may be nowhere near as strict as mine and the windows you're thinking about may be acceptable to them.

You MUST check and double check the planning situation then take advice on top from a proper expert with professional insurance. Friends of mine installed these as did their neighbour after seeing someone else on the street have them put in. All told by the installer they looked the same so no planning issue. Looked good. Everyone very happy.

Conservation rules include materials as well as appearance so all three are having to swap them out for wooden sash windows within 18 months after losing planning enforcement proceedings and they have no claim against the window installer. It will virtually ruin my friends financially.

While I agree UPVC sash windows have improved and to the passing observer look like wood, but they are still plastic and look nasty to me.

Kindly, I agree with all of this

And also if you start taking out original features you affect the way the house functions and breathes, and could end up with problems like damp.

It is unfortunately one of those things that if you want a very warm house it will need to be a modern one. I've had to get used to being 18 degrees in the winter because it costs a fortune otherwise! Lots of listed single glazing here 🥶

Argon filled slim heritage double glazing. He did reweight all the lead, but they needed it anyway. The house is from 1890 and he said they were the original windows.

@Couldntgiveafunk May I ask the name of the glass you had added to your windows please and how old your sashes are? Did you have to add more lead weights to deal with the added weight of the double glazing?

@emsa1 Removating existing sashes can make a huge difference even without changing the single glazed panes. If you are going to change the windows, have new double glazed wooden ones installed, please no UPVC sashes.

I got our old pvc windows replaced as they were falling apart after 30 years. I got plastic sliding sash windows and the period (not listed) house looks much better. They move beautifully and look great inside too. They let in some street noise though and my biggest complaint is that the plastic is a grey white, rather than white white which I hadn't realised.

But, if we'd still had the original windows I would definitely have got them reconditioned and double glazed where possible, and added secondary glazing. Then we could have had working shutters and a more beautiful authentic result. The pvc is great but very much second best.

… having said that, what did you get @Caroparo52

It’s worth getting a quote for getting them fixed plus putting in secondary double glazing.

Cheaper probably and will look better

My house built 1600.
So basically very pretty but freezing.
Had all windows including 4 sash ones replaced 2 years ago. I LOVE my windows. They are double glazed PVC custom made to be like for like.
Each window is a piece of art in made to look like wood finish
Definitely best thing I did. Helps with heating. They actually open too.
And no more painting or rotten wood. They look beautiful.
Can't help with conservation area bit. My house not listed.

I kept our old ones, I couldn't bear to get rid of them even though they had condensation, rattled when lorries and buses drove by (down a different road!) and were cold. One didn't open and one could only be wide open or closed.
We got brushes around the edges to make them less draughty and got the cord fixed. I think you can do more. We don't live there anymore and now someone has replaced the windows with UPVC ones like you mention and I feel sad about that but they look nice!

We had our original sashes refurbished and double glazing retrofitted in them. This is the first warm winter we’ve spent in the house. It’s bliss.

Previous owners did this in our house
£100k to put them back
It massively devalued the house as well

we have plastic sliding sash windows, they are lovely, but each one (5 of them) cost more than my 2016 car at the time... it was a pricey choice, all of the back of the house cost less than one of the front windows.

We have these! They've been in for a few years and are good. Ours replaced awful casement UPVC though and we aren't in a conservation area (Edwardian house) so whatever we put in would have been fine and would have been a big improvement. They were about 1.5K each window so not cheap. You can get the originals repaired and secondary glazing put in if you decide to keep them but I think that looks crap from the inside usually